Process of aging and bleaching flour.



Patented Apr'. 22, |902. J. .a s. Aunm-rws. l PROCESS 0F l*AGING AND BLEACHING FLUUR.

. (Appumn med Feb. 5, 1901.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT JOHN ANDREWs AND SYDNEY ANDREWS, OE BELFAST, IRELAND. Y

PROCESS OF AGING AND BLEACHING FLOUR.

SPEGIFOATION forming partvof Letters Patent No. 698,240, dated April 22, 1902. i

Application tiled February 5, 1901. Serial No. 46,136- (No specimens.) l

l'o a/ZZ whom' zt may concern: Y

Be it known that we, JOHN ANDREWS and SYDNEY ANDREWS, subjects of the'King of Great Britain, residing at Belfast, in the county of Antrim, Ireland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Aging and Bleaching Flour, of which the following is a specication.

It has been long known that flour, semolina, and the like, hereinafter spoken ot under the generic name of lour, if kept for two or three months after grinding is greatly improved in quality; but this improvement does not increase after that period, but deterioration, if anything, then begins. Now our invention is designed to bring about this incprovement or conditioning immediately after grinding without having to wait the two or` three months,and,fu `rther, not merely tobring about a conditioning equal to that caused by keeping it for such period, but a much greater improvement; and the invention consists, essentially, in exposing the flour to the action of nascent oxygen or a gaseous oxidizing agent, whereby nascent oxygen is produced in the flour. A very minute quantity of nascent oxygen is sufficient, so little, indeed, that the actual 'analysis of the ilour is but slightly altered.

In our experiments we have passed the flour through a silk reel, the our passing through being removed in the usual manner by fa worm and the oxidizing agent being introducedintothespacesurroundingthereel. The oxidizing agent we prefer is air passed through nitric acid. The air takes up a sufficient quantity of nitric acid at even ordinary temperatures to effect the result. We have found, however, that ozone can also be employed, but with not sucha good result, anditis 1n uch more expensive; also that chlorin and other gases producing nascent Oxygen can be used. With c'regard to the quantity, as before stated, a veryv small amount of nascent -oxygen or oxidizing agent is suflicient. The air is simply passed Or sprayed through a small Volume Of nitric acid or gaseous chlorin, or gaseous nitric acid can be admitted in small regulated quantities into the chamber, and the amount required can be regulated and is as- 1elertained by examining or testing the effluent our.

In order that our invention maybe better understood, we append. the accompanying drawing, showing in diagrammatic form our apparatus. nal reel, B a hopper, and C feeding mechanism feeding the iiour in a regulated stream into the reel at the upper end.` Y

D is the worm below, delivering the Inished product; E,.shaft, and F driving-pulley thereon; H, a fan passing air by means of numerous tine jets through I, a small reservoir of nitric acid, and thence by means of a pipe into the reel-chamber; K, exit at the other end for exhausted air. l

The resulting flour is almost or quite desti- In this, A is an ordinary polygotute of coloring-matter, the latter being oxidized and contains instead a small percentage of nitrate it nitric acid be employed or an excess of chlorid beyond whatis natural in liour if chlorin be employed.

We claim as our invention- 1. The improvement in the process of aging and bleaching flour, which consists in passing chemically inactive gaseous material through a liquid oxidizing medium capable of being slowly volatilizcdby said inactive gaseous material, and bringing the resulting gaseous mixture into intimate contact with the flour, substantially as described.

2. The improvement in the process of aging and bleaching i'lour, which consists in passing the same in a state of tine division through an atmosphere containing a small regulated quantity of gaseous nitric acid.

3. The improvement inthe process of aging and bleaching flour, which consists in bringing air into contact with nitric acid, whereby f it takes up a minute quantity of the latter, and bringing this gaseous mixture into intimate contact with the flour, substantially as described.

In witness whereof we have hereunto signed our names, this 23d day of January, 1901, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN ANDREWS. SYDNEY ANDREWS.

Witnesses:

WM. P. THOMPSON, F. P. EvANs. 

